Automakers, not Silicon Valley, lead in driverless car patents: study

The report, by the Intellectual Property and Science division of Thomson Reuters, is based on a detailed analysis of patent filings by automakers and tech companies for autonomous-car technology. The findings illuminate the challenges for both established automakers and Silicon Valley companies as they compete to profit from moving people around in a world that is increasingly congested and concerned about carbon emissions. “Automakers aren’t as good as technology companies in tooting their own horns,” Tony Trippe, principal author of the report, told Reuters in an interview. “But when you look at the patent data, the automakers are all over this.”